1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, an information transmitting/receiving method, a server apparatus, a reader-writer, and a member privilege acquiring system.
2. Description of the Related Art
One conceivable business model would be for an Internet company that runs a website to use the website to publicize a store (hereinafter “real store”) that exists not on the Internet but in actual society so as to entice users to visit the real store, with the real store then paying performance-based compensation in accordance with store visits and purchases at the real store. When doing so, an affiliate service provider acts as an intermediary between the Internet company that puts up an advertisement and the real store.
However, the service described above cannot be realized by an existing affiliate service that entices users who have viewed advertisements placed on a website to visit stores that exist on the Internet, or by an easily imagined method. As examples, this is thought to be due to the business, service, and technology-related issues faced in tracking proof of whether a user who has viewed an advertisement on a website has visited a real store or made a purchase.
Technologies that track a store visit performance and purchase performance of a user using a mobile telephone have the following problems.
First, one conceivable method would be to transmit position information from a mobile telephone during a store visit using GPS and then use such information as a store visit log that serves as proof of store visits. However, position information produced by GPS cannot accurately specify that a user has visited a store due to reasons including an inability to distinguish between floors of a building and insufficient precision. This means that there is the risk of a store being incorrectly charged for store visits even when users have not actually visited the store. On the other hand, there is also the risk that it will not be possible to correctly charge a store for store visits when users have actually visited the store. In addition, since it is not possible to track purchase performance and the like using only position information produced by GPS, it would be difficult to flexibly set the performance-based compensation in accordance with purchase performance and the like.
Secondly, for a case where a user can acquire privileges by visiting a real store and making purchases, one conceivable method would be for the user to show the screen of a mobile telephone that displays a certificate, such as a coupon or a membership card, for acquiring a privilege to a staff member of the real store during a visit. However, since it is possible for the user to transfer a URL or the like of the screen being presented here to someone else, it is difficult to determine whether the user who actually viewed the site and the user who has come to the store are the same person. This means that illicit activity may occur due to collusion between users. It is also difficult for such a system to accurately grasp performance in its entirety. That is, by making a false application, such as when staff members do not add to the store visit performance when users make actual store visits, a real store can illegally avoid having to pay performance-based compensation to a website. As a result, it is difficult to conduct a business for calculating and charging performance-based compensation in accordance with store visits. In addition, since a step of confirming store visits through visual confirmation and/or manual input by store staff members is required, there is the possibility of operator error. Since store operation is made more complex, this can significantly reduce the business merits of the system to a store and act as a further barrier to such service being introduced.
Thirdly, another conceivable method would be to have a reader-writer (R/W apparatus) connected to a POS terminal read a membership certificate registered in a contactless IC chip installed inside a card or a mobile telephone when the user visits a store, to transmit a store visit and purchase history to a server, and to match such information against site viewing log information of members registered in the server. However, since a reader-writer that is connected to a network would be required, the cost to a store of installing and maintaining a reader-writer is high, which can significantly reduce the business merits of this system. It is also necessary for the reader-writer connected to a network to be the only interface between the server and the user. This means that the reader-writer needs a screen or the like to inform the user of the processing result of the server. For store visit and purchase performance in a case where a plurality of privilege acquisition rights are generated, a device is required to enable the user to select a privilege. As one example, an input apparatus such as a touch panel or buttons is required. In addition, if a combination of devices is used with sites being viewed on a mobile telephone and store visit applications being made using a card-type device, extra cost is incurred in having to distribute the cards. Also, since the mobile telephone on which the user views the site and the card are physically separate, it is difficult to determine whether the user who viewed the site and the user who has come to the store are the same person and technically difficult to prevent identity problems, such as users handing their cards to others.
Fourthly, yet another conceivable method would be for a user to acquire a QR code on display at a store during a store visit, to access a website using the QR code, and to use a terminal unique ID (UID or the like) of a mobile telephone to match the user who has come to the store against a list of users who have previously viewed the website. However, when a QR code is used, the URL transferred via the QR code is static and cannot be appended with a timestamp showing when the QR code was actually acquired (i.e., when the user visited the store) or a serial number or the like set in accordance with a number of times the QR code has been read. This means that by making multiple accesses to the URL represented by the QR code, it is possible for the user to illegally apply for privileges granted for multiple store visits. If multiple accesses from a terminal unique ID of the same mobile telephone were excluded to prevent such illegal behavior, it would not be possible to count the actual store visit performance from the second visit onwards, which limits service flexibility. In order to count store visits from the second visit onwards, it would be conceivable to use a system or arrangement where a QR code with a different URL every time is distributed or displayed at the store entrance. However, the cost incurred by issuing and printing QR codes in which different URLs are embedded and the additional management required for the store entrance are disadvantageous from a business standpoint. In addition, when QR codes are used, it is not possible to acquire an IC chip unique ID of the mobile telephone that actually read the QR code on display at the store. This means that by transferring the URL of the QR code to a third party, it becomes possible for users who have not actually visited the store to illegally apply for privileges granted for store visits. Preventing such illegal activity is extremely difficult.